Social Justice Books to Teach Kids About Global Issues from What Do We Do All Day? Peek: “Social justice, whether it be environmental, political, gender oriented, or economic is a crucial subject and we must discuss it with our children if we want them to grow up to be compassionate global citizens.”
We Need Diverse Books Mentorship Program & Application from WNDB. Peek: “…ten mentorships, two in each of the following categories – Picture Book Text (PB), Middle Grade (MG), Young Adult (YA), Nonfiction (NF), and Illustration (IL). The winners will communicate with the mentor for approximately one year in a mentor/mentee custom-defined program.” See also We Need Diverse Books Launches Curated Book App by Claire Kirch from Publishers Weekly.
Character Motivation Thesaurus: To Rescue a Loved One by Angela Ackerman from Writers Helping Writers. Peek: “Through this thesaurus, we’d like to explore these common outer motivations so you can see your options and what those goals might look like on a deeper level.”
With Thanks to an Unforgettable Teaching Author & Mentor by Esther Hershenhorn from Teaching Authors. Peek: “Simply put, Barbara Seuling respected each of her writer’s capacity to become, including this writer, and for that I remain forever grateful. She held the bar High, because we write for children.” See also In Memory: Barbara Seuling from Cynsations.
SCBWI Jane Yolen Mid-List Author Grant: “You must be a current member who has published at least two PAL books, but has not sold anything for at least five years.” Note: Two winners will share the $3,000 grant.
Why Laurie Halse Anderson Writes for Children: “Literature Is The Best Gift We Can Share With Them” by Sadie L. Trombetta from Bustle. Peek: “…this revelation was the most offensive. ‘America – the beacon of freedom for the world – was built on the backs of enslaved American families. It’s time for us to own up to that.’ And Ashes, along with Chains and Forge, attempts to do just that by sharing the stories of two slaves struggling for their own freedom, liberty, and justice alongside a young nation trying to accomplish the same thing.”
Four Kinds of Pacing by Donald Maass from Writer Unboxed. Peek: “In fiction terms, who says that has to apply only to plot events? There are other ways to pace a novel. There are many kinds of steps through which you can put your characters and readers.”
2016 Finalists for the National Book Award (Young People’s Literature): Kate DiCamillo, Raymie Nightingale (Candlewick); John Lewis, Andrew Aydin & Nate Powell (Artist), March: Book Three (Top Shelf); Grace Lin, When the Sea Turned to Silver (Little, Brown); Jason Reynolds, Ghost (Atheneum); Nicola Yoon, The Sun Is Also a Star (Delacorte). Note: Congrats also to Jacqueline Woodson, finalist in Fiction for Another Brooklyn (Amistad).
Thinking and Learning about Cultural Appropriation by Monica Edinger from Educating Alice. Note: Highlights key recent links on the conversation within children’s-YA literature.
Nine Books to Put You in the Halloween Mood by Audrey from Rich in Color. Peek: “…here’s a list of nine YA books by and/or about people of color that I think would be perfect for getting you ready for the upcoming holiday. We’ve got ghosts, monsters, witches, superheroes, and much more!” See also Plan-Your-Month Roundup: October Holidays from Lee & Low.
Cynsational Screening Room
This Week at Cynsations
- New Voice Bridget Hodder on The Rat Prince
- Joy Preble on Life as an Author-Bookseller…or Bookseller-Author?
- Book Trailer: Snow White by Matt Phelan
- 4 Reasons Why Diversity Visibility Matters
- New Voice Jenny Kay Dupuis on I Am Not A Number
- In Memory: Barbara Seuling
- New Voices Jonah Lisa Dyer & Stephen Dyer on The Season
Cynsational Giveaway
Enter to win an author-signed copy of Penny & Jelly: The School Show (2015) Penny & Jelly: Slumber Under the Stars (2016) by Maria Gianferrari, illustrated by Thyra Heder (HMH Books). Eligibility: U.S. only.
More Personally
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| Can you find me on the back? Do you see my pencil drawing on the front? |
Cover Reveal!
I’m honored to be a contributor to Our Story Begins: Children’s Authors and Illustrators Share Fun, Inspiring, and Occasionally Ridiculous Things They Wrote and Drew as Kids, edited by Elissa Brent Weissman (Atheneum, 2017)(ages 8-up). From the promotional copy:
From award-winning author Elissa Brent Weissman comes a collection of quirky, smart, and vulnerable childhood works by some of today’s foremost children’s authors and illustrators—revealing young talent, the storytellers they would one day become, and the creativity they inspire today.
Get ready for the readergirlz #RocktheDrop Oct. 14!
Link of the Week: Just Say Yes! by Cathy Yardley from Writer Unboxed. Peek: “A ship in harbor is safe – but that’s not what ships are built for.”
Personal Links
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| YALSA’s #TeenReadWeek: Oct. 9 to Oct. 15 |
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Advice for Living
- Study Links Birth Control Pill to Depression
- LGBTQ History Month
- The Wordy Wranglers of Typewriter Rodeo
- Recognition for Ursula K. Le Guin
- The Price of Fandom for Women of Color
- 1,000 Lakota Sioux Youth to Descend on Dakota Pipeline Protest Site
- 3 Lessons “Supernatural” Taught Me about Writing Authentic Characters
- Junot Díaz on the force field of privilege and the power of art